INTRODUCTION. 



The Eucalypts are now grown in America, especiall} T in the South- 

 western United States, more extensively than any other exotic forest 

 tree. During- the past forty years they have been planted here and in 

 other parts of the world for ornament, for sanitary improvement, for 

 shade, for wind-breaks, for fuel, for oil, and for timber; and incident- 

 all} r they have been useful in many other ways. In fact, they have 

 probably served more aesthetic and utilitarian purposes than any other 

 forest trees that have been planted on this continent. 



These trees have been studied and extolled alike by botanists, gar- 

 deners, and foresters. They are worthy of all the attention that has 

 been given them and deserve to be still better known. The late Baron 

 Ferdinand von Mueller, Government botanist of Victoria, Australia, 

 the most renowned student of the great Australian genus Eucalyptus, 

 prophesied in his scholarly Eucalyptographia that "The Eucalypts 

 are destined to play a prominent part for all times to come in the 

 silvan culture of vast tracts of the globe; and for hard-wood supplies, 

 for sanitary measures, and for beneficent climatic changes all countries 

 within the warmer zones will with appreciative extensiveness have to 

 rely on our Eucalypts during an as yet uncountable period." All who 

 have lived where Eucalypts grow can realize fully the force of the 

 prophecy and the great value of the genus to mankind, both present 

 and prospective. 



In the following pages the Eucalypts are viewed mainly from the 

 standpoint of their usefulness, onl} r incidentally being treated as orna- 

 mentals. No attempt is made to present an exhaustive botanical trea- 

 tise of the Eucalypts. The botanical features introduced are intended 

 to be subservient to the interests and purposes of the forester. 



Only the large arboreal species are discussed — that is, species attain- 

 ing a height of over 40 to 50 feet and a diameter of over 1 foot. Many 

 of the species consisting of smaller trees are very interesting to the 

 botanist and gardener, but they are of comparatively little interest to 

 I he forester. 



This publication is not a general treatise on the genus Eucalyptus. 



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